A video showing bundles of naira notes being arranged in a car boot has circulated online alongside a claim that it shows ransom being prepared to be paid to “Fulani herdsmen” in Nigeria.
An X user, @agnes_nwanneka, posted the video, captioned thus:
“This is ransom to be paid to Fulani herdsmen for their kidnapping job in Nigeria.”
The video has garnered some traction online with over 100 reposts and more than 100 likes, and thus sparking mixed reactions in the comment section.
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Many users appeared to believe the claim, linking it to the widespread insecurity and spate of kidnappings across Nigeria, which is often attributed to armed herdsmen or Fulani militia.
CLAIM
Video shows ransom being prepared for Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING as the video depicts the money recovered from some corrupt Nigerian police officers indicted for extorting some corps members in 2024.
In recent years, Nigeria has experienced several cases of kidnapping-for-ransom incidents, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions. These attacks are frequently blamed on armed groups, including suspected herdsmen and bandits, who abduct victims and demand huge sums in exchange for their release.
According to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), households paid ₦2.23 trillion ($1.48 billion– using N1504 CBN rate) in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024. The NBS’s Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey reported 51.89 million crime incidents during this period, with the Northwest recording the highest cases.
Data from SBM Intelligence show that since 2019, Nigeria has witnessed 735 mass abductions till date. Between July 2022 and June 2023 alone, 3,620 people were abducted in 582 cases, with about ₦5 billion ($3.3 million) paid in ransom within the period.
A reverse image search using keyframes from the video via Google Lens revealed that the footage is not connected to any ransom payment for Fulani herdsmen. Instead, the video was first posted by the Nigerian activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, via X on November 5, 2024.
It shows the recovery of ₦10 million in cash extorted from a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by some police officers in Bayelsa State.
In the original video shared on X on November 5, 2024, Gwamnishu wrote:
*₦10,000,000.00 CASH RECOVERY FROM POLICE OFFICERS FROM ZONE 16, BAYELSA STATE…”
He noted that the cash was retrieved from the police after some of their officers harassed and extorted corps members along the East-West Road, a known flashpoint for police misconduct.
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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) confirmed the incident in a statement issued by the Force spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on November 8, 2024. The statement revealed that the four officers involved were Emmanuel Ubong, Nse Okon, Adiewere Collins, and Kuromare Marine.
They were responsible for the extortion, and the money was recovered through the intervention of the then Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Zone 16, Adebola Hamzat. Recall that Hamzat was later promoted to a Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police and has been appointed to head the NPF’s Department of Logistics and Supply (DLS).
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows ransom being prepared for Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria is MISLEADING; the video actually depicts the recovery of ₦10 million extorted by some corrupt police officers from NYSC members in Bayelsa State in 2024.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
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